SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF 2 on a vote of 68-64 to establish a statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. The program would be administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) in conjunction with its Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.
Rep. Alicia Kozlowski (DFL-Duluth), voted for the legislation:
“Enacting Paid Family and Medical Leave will help to make Minnesota the best state in the nation for children, families, and workers. It complements all the other work Democrats are doing to help Minnesotans afford their lives, like investing in just and affordable housing, providing free school meals, and reducing health care costs.
Minnesotans believe in caring for one another. Yet the vast majority of Minnesotans don’t have access to paid family and medical leave benefits. This means every day, Minnesotans face impossible choices between losing a paycheck or caring for a new child, an aging loved one, or themselves.
Families and small businesses across our state have rallied and demanded the legislature to act now for a common-sense solution. Our current system is costly to workers, families, and our economy. Paid leave would provide a safety net to small business owners and their employees that they currently can’t afford, which puts their businesses and families at risk. It levels the playing field between small employers and large corporations.
At the heart of paid family and medical leave is our humanity and a recognition that at some point every Minnesotan will need time to care for themselves and family members, whether it’s for a new baby, an unexpected illness, or an aging parent. Today, we are taking one of our most important steps by ensuring everyone has access to paid family and medical leave, not just some of us.”
Less than 20% of workers in the United States have access to paid family and medical leave through their employers. The rest, predominantly lower-wage workers, face some impossible decisions. Under the federal Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), workers in the U.S. can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave following the birth of a child or if the worker or a family member has a serious illness or injury. Most workers, however, cannot afford to take unpaid leave and the FMLA offers little relief.
The United States is the only high-wealth country in the world that does not allow workers to take paid family leave. Further, a compelling majority of Americans support paid family leave. In one recent, national poll, 84% expressed support for a national paid family leave program.
The bill’s companion is traveling in the Minnesota Senate.